The Date

The Apartment

Gulf kept his gaze fixed in the entrees section of the menu. He can feel the look, a strong look from across the table.

A soft laugh was heard, "Gulf, look at me. Why are you so shy? This is why I find you so interesting."

The tall man slowly moves his hands across the table, forcing Gulf to put the menu down and pay attention.

"You know how I feel about all these," Gulf said with a shy tone.

"I know love, but we agreed to do this, we agreed to keep our relationship alive by doing new things."

Gulf gave the tall man a lovely look, "I know, I am trying, is just that, [Gulf look around and see the other customers minding their own business, and not paying attention to him]. He continues, "I am so clumpy and always making a fool of myself." Gulf lower his head and scratches the back of it.

"You are not making a fool of yourself, you know I don't like it when you say things like that. You are a very capable man and you have special qualities which I admired." The tall man said, Gulf looked at him and smiled.

The tall man got up, walking around and now was sitting next to Gulf.

Taking Gulf's left hand, "I know you must feel nervous, I am here with you. If you want we can go somewhere else. What you say?"

The tall man kissed Gulf's hand and gently placed it on his heart.

"You feel it? You are the one making it race like a wild horse. This is one of your special qualities. "

Gulf smiled shyly. "Mew, stop it, someone can hear you. So embarrassing," Gulf cheeks were flushed.

This provoke Mew and without a care in the world, Mew turned Gulf's face to him and kissed him, it was a soft, sweet, gentle kiss. Close to a peck than an actual kiss, yet, Gulf was affected by it, his heart is also beating fast.

Now, he remembers why he was nervous on the way here. He knows that Mew is the kind of person who will show him his love in different ways like kissing, holding hands, hugs, and even making love, sometimes three times in a day.

Today was kissing and hugging. Gulf felt safe, respected, and love by Mew and this is the reason Gulf is doing his best to get out of his shell and have his second date with his husband of five years. Gulf being the shy person he is, even holding hands in public was too much.

To calm Mew down and to distract himself, Gulf picked up the menu and show it to Mew.

"Should we order? " Gulf was about to yank his hand way from Mew's gripped, but that only provoked Mew to hold it tighter.

Gulf pleaded with his puppy eyes and Mew smiled, kissed the hand again and let it go. "You know I love teasing you. Let's order, I would like a stake with steam veggies."

Gulf looked at Mew with a perplexed look, "you haven't even look at the menu."

"I did, like ten minutes before you came. I was trying to distract myself and calm down." Mew said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Calm yourself down?" Gulf asked.

"Yes, I was so nervous that I thought I was going to the army instead of meeting my husband."

"You nervous? I thought I was the only one," with that, Gulf called the waiter who all this time was standing on the far end of the restaurant, waiting to be call for any assistance.

"Yes, me, nervous. We have a long time we don't go on a date. Actually, the last time was seven years ago if I am not mistaken. That's when I decided to marry you" Mew grabbed Gulf by the waist.

Gulf tried to remove his hand, but Mew move it closer. "Remember what you told me?" Mew asked.

"Oh gosh, please stop. This is not a good idea, so embarrassing." Gulf covered his face with his free hand.

Mew began to laugh, but stopped when the waiter got closer.

"Hi, are we ready to order?" He was ready with his pen and white notebad.

"Yes, he will have the stake, medium rare with veggies, and I will have the mango chilli chicken with yellow rice." Gulf handed him the menus.

After repeating the order, the waiter asked, "that would be all? Anything to drink?"

Gulf looked at Mew who was looking at Gulf without blinking, and instead of verbally replying to him, he shook his head.

"I would like one, [Gulf pointed at Mew's half empty glass.] thank you."

The waiter smiled again and left.

Gulf looked at Mew who was still looking at him. "Mew? Are you okay? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mew got closer to Gulf's ear and whispered, "if you can only imagine what I want to do to you right now." Gulf's eyes widened and he tensed up for two reasons.

One was because Mew just said that in the restaurant and the other because Gulf also said this before. Actually, seven years ago when he was tipsy from drinking as a way to calm his nerves during their official date.

***START OF FLASHBACK ***

Well, Gulf didn't realized that alcohol was an enhancer to bring another side of him, a wild side.

As he was eating a burger, ketchup oozed out of the sandwich, part of it landing on his plate and the rest was hanging by his plum lower lip. As an impulse, Mew wiped it off Gulf's lower lip and without thinking, licked his finger.

Well, that was the most exotic thing Gulf has ever seen and the alcohol and excitement made him said to Mew without blinking and holding his burger.

"If you can only imagine what I want to do to you right now."

Those words came out of the young man and he was not even aware of it until Mew asked him.

"What did you said?" Eyes blinking, waiting for the response.

"Ah, what?" A confused Gulf asked.

"You just told me that you want to do me right now." Mew repated it, this time in a lower voice.

"WHAT?! Me? I just said that? [Dropping the burger and waving both hands in front of him] No, no, you must be misunderstanding."

Mew knew very well what he said, but decided to leave it like that since he could see Gulf's skin color was close to beetroot radiant.

Well, he left it like that, but the next day, Gulf's and Mew's close family knew about it. Not because Mew was a tattletale, but because Mew's and Gulf's moms were at the restaurant as well, far away, hiding like spies.

Knowing his son could made a fool of himself, Mrs. Kanawut convinced Ms. Suppasit to go to the restaurant and spy on their sons. Well, that's what best friends do on a Saturday night, they work together to spy on their sons' first date.

***END OF FLASHBACK ***

Seven years forward and now Mew is the one saying those words.

"Stop, we are in a public place, wait to get home." Gulf whispered with a seductive tone, at least that was his intention.

"Gosh, where is the food?" Mew said with a playful tone.

Gulf smiled because he knew what Mew meant.

As they waited for their food, they talked about their years together and how each other realized when they fall for the other.

"I fell in love with you when I saw you for the first time walking to the kitchen with your hands full of books and in your mouth you had a pen with a pink fluffy feather." Mew laughed as he is picturing a much younger Gulf.

"Well, I think I felt something for you even before that, I notice you when my mom showed me a picture of her college friend who was coming back home after years being away and there you were. With a grey tank top, greenish shorts, and a basketball in one hand and your bike in the other. It was as if I wanted to be you at that moment, I wanted to have those experiences as well. I also told you many times, I was helping my friend Jules with her school materials. "Gulf said, pinching Mew.

The food came, they ended up sharing their food with each other. From time to time Gulf would grabbed Mew's hand and squeezed it, other time Mew would kissed Gulf's hands.

The evening was perfect since it was the first time they attempted to have a date, a proper date by themselves and not having their families meddling with their lives.

On the way back home, in the taxi, Gulf was resting his head on Mew's firm chest and Mew wrapped his hands on Gulf. Protecting the sleep of his lover.

Yes, even after five years together Mew felt the same love for Gulf, people would expected to increase or decrease after so many years, but surprisingly, he still love him the same.

Mew succeed in helping Gulf come to the restaurant on his own, he even order the food for both of them which surprise Mew.

Gulf shyness has preventing him from making a social life, something that he has struggle with for many years.

After he was offered the opportunity to be a professor at a local college, but declined because of his anxiety of being around people, especially people looking at him.

Mew felt that by Gulf only interacting with both sides of the family was not enough.

He knew Gulf has so much potential even the local college knew it and was willing to make him the youngest astrophysicist professor in the history of the college.

After so much arguments, Gulf declined the offer, instead of being mad with him, Mew decided to help him. He made a promise to help him by doing these kinds of things.

Taking one step at the time, making Gulf feel comfortable and not pushing him, the least he wanted was seeing his husband suffer, he would never forgive himself.

Gulf got up and looked at Mew, Gulf pulled Mew's head close to him. "Mew? Thank you, I love you." Gulf lowered his head again.

"I love you too, love," Mew checked to see if Gulf was awake, but a soft sore escape Gulf's mouth and Mew smiled, bringing Gulf close to him and looking through the window.

**********

"Come, let me help you take off your clothes," Mew told a sleepy, drunk Gulf.

Slapping his hands in the air, "no, I don't want to, leave me alone I want to sleep."

Mew laughed at Gulf's drunk state by having just one drink, the second one Mew ended up drinking it.

"Okay, sleep." Mew patted Gulf's head and kissed him.

Gulf turned to the side, grabbing Mew's pillow and hugging it.

"Hmmm, you smelled good, kiss me, I love you."

Gulf was telling this to Mew's pillow, but in his head it was sexy Mew looking at him.

Mew was now laughing, "gosh, too bad you are too drunk, but still, you are so cute. Mew kissed Gulf again and after a great ordeal managed to change Gulf's clothes, only able to put him his bottom pajamas. Mew proceeds to turn off the bedroom's lights off.

After changing his clothes, Mew decided to make coffee.

On his way to the kitchen, Mew stopped in front of a bookshelf and observe the pictures in display of their life together as husbands for the past five years.

"Life is not perfect, but for me, having you in my life has giving me the reason to enjoy every minute of it, I love you Gulf Kanawut."

Mew placed the picture of their wedding day back to where it belong and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee for the drunk Gulf, who was still hugging his imaginary Mew.

The person who never judge him, the person who understands him, the person who finds his awkwardness cute and is always interested in knowing what he is thinking instead of finding him boring.

The person who saw more than just a nerd who loves black holes and anything science related, but a person who had potential even when Gulf himself was not aware of it.

Mew heard giggles from the bedroom, "I love you, you are so funny."

Mew went back to the bedroom with the cup of coffee. Feeling guilty of waking Gulf up, he decided to lay next to him by pushing Gulf to the left which is actually Mew's side of the bed.

Sensing movement next to him, Gulf turned and smelled the real Mew next to him.

Now on his back, Gulf grabbed Pillow Mew with one hand and the real Mew with the other.

Gulf giggles again, "oh, two of you, I am so lucky."

A loud laugh came out of Mew and hitting Gulf in the forehead, he said, "what am I supposed to do with you?"

Mew turned Gulf to the left side again, making Gulf hugged Pillow Mew and Mew spooned Gulf and both fell asleep dreaming of each other, well, Gulf was indeed lucky, he got two Mews all for himself.

I am sure Gulf could say this was his best date ever.